Facing My … My… My… FEAR!!!

Published on Monday, November 15, 2010 by Katherine

I’m a rollercoaster girl, through and through. Nothing is better than the thrill of being strapped in and climbing slowly… click, click, click, higher, click, click, click up, up, higher, higher…. I LOVE IT.

But did you notice the two key words, “Strapped in?” I like heights STRAPPED IN. If I’m climbing freestyle my heart begins to pound. My breath begins to shorten. My knees begin to knock.

In fourth grade I faced this fear climbing St. Peter’s all the way to the top. But I had my Dad’s hand to hold on to, so I in a special way I was strapped in tight.

After college I was given the opportunity to climb to the top of a container crane at Portsmouth International Terminals. See that ship? Imagine how tall it is. Now look at the crane. It was exhilarating, frightening and unforgettable.

This weekend I did it again. Not as tall as a container crane but high nonetheless. My daughter and I decided to climb the Currituck Beach Lighthouse in Corolla, NC. The stairs aren’t just stairs, they are grates. That you can look through. Can you hear my knees a knockin’!?

I would like a few extra points for the nor’easter that was going on as I climbed. They let people up there with this wind?!! The minute I stepped out I was pushed back by a huge gust. I shimmied to the other side before I could even consider taking a picture. My daughter? No sweat. What’s the big deal, Mom?

I took my life into my own hands by attempting some video during the climb. My favorite part? When my daughter says she will meet me at the top and you hear me saying, “PANT! PANT! NO.. PANT! WAIT FOR.. PANT ME!” That was not so much a result of the climb (WHICH was done in Sketcher’s Shape-Ups, I might add) but of my beating heart and panicked breath! PANT PANT!